Peter Gilmore to take over Bennelong

Peter Gilmore has the harbour covered. The Quay chef is set to take
over the Bennelong space in the Sydney Opera House, across the
water from his flagship restaurant in the Overseas Passenger
Terminal.

"What we want to do with Bennelong is focus even more on the
diversity of Australian produce and the quality of what we have
growing all around the country," says Gilmore. "The food will be
just a little bit simpler than the technical-driven food that I do
at Quay."

Gilmore plans to transform the room into a multifaceted space,
with high-end dining on the lower level; a "cured and cultured"
section in the middle, focusing on the likes of fresh seafood and
pickled vegetables; a more laid-back restaurant/bar hybrid on the
upper level designed to capture the pre- and post-show crowds; plus
a private dining room and a chef's table.

"The concept is perfect for Bennelong's tri-level layout," says
Opera House CEO Louise Herron. "This is an excellent result for
dining in Sydney, and for our roles as one of the busiest
performing arts centres in the world and the nation's premier
tourist attraction."

The space has been up for tender since Guillaume Brahimi vacated
the venue last December and a false start
by Melbourne's Van Haandel Group in March. Under the 10-year
agreement, Gilmore will dedicate the majority of his time to the
new restaurant while maintaining his position as executive chef at
Quay. He'll be assisted by Quay's senior sous-chef Robert
Cockerill, with The Fink Group's wine consultant Ned Goodwin taking
care of the pours.

Bennelong will be open for dinner seven nights a week, lunch
Friday to Sunday and brunch on Sundays. Doors are slated to open in
June.

"We're very much looking forward to being able to get in there
and do something special," Gilmore says.